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Yes, public transportation and walking would be ideal, but sometimes it is either to far for walking or public transportation is to complicated.

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 12:16:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I'm Anti-Car (none / 0)

but I'm also anti-stupid.

Having access to a car, truck, or van makes a lot of sense. Tradespeople, such as plumbers, need to have a 'mobile workshop' to haul tools and supplies to a job site.

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 12:34:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm Anti-Car (4.00 / 2)

It is interesting, though, that a plumber in England or France can do his job out of a dinky little toy truck, while in the U.S. you need a huge van or 4WD pickup truck even if you never do anything but clean out drains.

by asdf on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 01:14:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Has he got a standup workshop and a kitchen in there?

Otherwise, here in France, this is more the (dinky?) ticket:

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 02:31:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

People do have a workshop in their truck. In the US, at least. Makes it easier and quicker to set-up jigs and so on when doing initial construction and commercial jobs.

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 02:36:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

There's a workshop in the French one too. That's why I wondered about the kitchen.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 02:41:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Room for the supplies? US residences tend to be bigger than those o'er the pond so need more of them. Also the usual 'stick' of PVC pipe is 12 foot and overall size of a truck is related to length.

I'm guessing. It could be the standard US view "bigger is better."

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 02:59:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Well, if we're comparing lengths ( ;) ), PVC pipe comes at 6 metres here.

But I think it's cultural. If a tradesman showed up in the States in a smaller vehicle, he wouldn't look like he was Serious. Same here if his vehicle was smaller than standard.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 03:13:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Same Here (none / 0)

20 feet, not 12, or a little over 6 meters.

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 03:41:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I'm Anti-Car (4.00 / 3)

Bigger is better, sure: you can fit a home theater right next to the workshop, and possibly a bowling lane while you're at it :)

At least, this is not a flat bed pickup: it's good thing that contractors in Europe use closed vans; you wouldn't believe all the junk I found on the Bay area freeways while I was leaving there: scales, garden chairs, wheel barrows, you name it...

Europeans think a hundred miles is a long way. Americans think a hundred years is a long time.

by Bernard on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 04:42:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Yes, he used cars from time to time, just did not own one. So it would be an example in favor of Mobility and similar solutions.

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

by A swedish kind of death on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 01:58:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Does it include wear and tear on shoes, additional food, and more frequent umbrella replacement?

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 12:28:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Hm, probably not.

And while we are at it, it probably did not factor in health benefits from walking and the economic benefits of those health benefits :)

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

by A swedish kind of death on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 01:59:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Or the public safety and economic costs of driving cars.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 02:24:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Somebody needs to calculate a full cost analysis of private car ownership versus public (mass) transportation in cities and car share schemes. In 1985 (IIRC) a friend and I ran a quickie for San Francisco and concluded it would have been cheaper for Don't-Call-It-Frisco to have kept and expanded the cable car lines. Further, as I recall, we thought increasing the city tax by $60 a year ($5/month) the system could have been free to residents and still cheaper for the city and residents.

Indications: 250,000 - low ball estimate - people buying $20 a month in gasoline is $60,000,000 year. 250,000 paying $400 month car payment is $1.2 billion a year. 250,000 paying $650 year in car insurance is $162.5 million/year.

And yadda-yadda

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 12:27:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Anec D. Otal (4.00 / 6)

I calculated what I would save by ending my lease car contract and giving up vehicle ownership altogether. I set that against the cost of buses, taxis, walking and sharing. No contest - even if frequently using taxis.

The Finnish taxi system is well-regulated and efficient. In Helsinki I can text my location and get the closest free taxi. In Porvoo, taxis have just started using a new system based on smartphones. The drivers are also my principle source of Porvoo gossip.

But the best discovery of the bus experience is that you have no responsibility whatsoever for driving, navigation or safety. My first trips were spent looking out of the window, not knowing what to do with this lack of responsibility. But now the 1 hour trip to Helsinki is like a bonus hour. I'm giving myself an e-book reader for Yule.

"So much to know, so little toilet time"

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 01:16:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Anec D. Otal (4.00 / 2)

or safety.

In Calabria you may have to decide whether to offend the driver by putting on your seat belt despite his assurance that he knows all the cops in town....

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 01:20:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Anec D. Otal (none / 0)

Our buses have seat belts, and our talkative drivers usually mention "for your comfort, please wear you etc."

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 02:33:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Anec D. Otal (none / 1)

Oh those Finns. Yak, Yak, Yak all the time. Can hardly hear oneself think for all the noise.

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 02:39:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Anec D. Otal (none / 0)

Yak yak yak is the glue that holds society together. FYI. ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 06:21:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Anec D. Otal (4.00 / 3)

They use yak glue up there? I would have suspected elk glue. Better than horse glue anyway.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 08:31:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Free public transport ????

Why do you hate america ???

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 01:30:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I blame ET.

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 02:29:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

In New York, the ferry to Staten Island (where they vote Republican) is free, as is entrance to the first few stations of the subway. Why do Republicans hate America?

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 02:38:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

TV night (none / 1)

Taking it easy. This workaday week is toast. With Marmite.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 12:05:42 PM EST

Universal Credit, Self Employment and the Minimum Wage | the void

The new rules for self-employed people on Universal Credit are to set to be some of most complex ever designed and will prove devastating for the lowest earning workers. Self-employed people could find business ideas rejected by panels of government busy-bodies or face having to cancel organised work to attend workfare, all whilst attempting to battle unprecedented levels of red tape.
Under current rules, self-employed people who work 30 hours a week can claim Working Tax Credit. This is a lower amount of benefit than Jobseekers Allowance and is removed at a lower rate when wages increase. Housing Benefit can also still be claimed, at a reduced rate dependent on earnings. This has meant that self employed workers can take work, or develop a business, without being forced to sign on and off unemployment benefits everytime they earn anything. Much like Working and Child Tax Credits, which are payable to those with children working over 30 hours a week, this ended the situation for parents and the self-employed which left some people better off on benefits than on taking up low paid work.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 12:54:45 PM EST

Mmmmhhhhh???!!!! (none / 1)

Man photographs hovering cigar-shaped UFO for over two hours as it is witnessed by thousands across three states | Mail Online

The sighting has excited the UFO community online - leading to a group of enthusiasts known as the Ashtar Command Crew claiming the craft to be a 'Lightship'

by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 01:05:19 PM EST

Re: Mmmmhhhhh???!!!! (4.00 / 2)

Probably the remnants of that sky diving idiot's balloon

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 01:57:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Mmmmhhhhh???!!!! (none / 1)

Yup, I guess this is it, brothers and sisters.

The Rapture approaches for Pike County, Kentucky.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 02:40:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Breaking... (4.00 / 2)

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 03:32:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Breaking... (none / 0)

On the other side it apparently says "..but Peter scores on the rebound"

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 04:06:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

How Profligate Was the Greek Government? « Multiplier Effect

And there is reason to believe that even in the case of Greece, the bogeyman of government profligacy, the popular narrative should be treated with a little more skepticism.
In a new report, Dimitri Papadimitriou, Gennaro Zezza, and Vincent Duwicquet use the "financial balances" approach pioneered by Wynne Godley to look at the recent history and future prospects of growth for the Greek economy.
...
As the authors observe, Greece's government expenditures were basically stable through the '90s and most of the 2000s, increasing rapidly only as a result of the 2008 recession (until the austerity programs began to take effect in 2010).

Von überall könnte das Volk, Urbrut alles Undemokratischen, Zelle des Terrors, über die gewählten Hüter von Wachstum und Wohlstand® kommen. - flatter

by generic on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 02:49:21 PM EST

Hurricane Sandy on collision course with mid-Atlantic and Northeast:

All forecast models are now clustering on a landfall between the Delmarva peninsula and Cape Cod. The official forecast from the National Hurricane Center forecasts the center to move over the Delaware Bay with the cone of uncertainty spanning from Cape Hatteras up to eastern Long Island.

Double plus ungood.

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

by ATinNM on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 03:04:10 PM EST

On that path it could make a mess of Philadelphia.

(No, no wisecracks)

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Oct 26th, 2012 at 03:17:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]